Return
by princessjoey630
Summary: Set three years after ‘Judgement Day’. Tony has been struggling with his feelings for Ziva, who has not been heard from since returning to Israel. One day, things change again. Rated T to be sure. Tiva, McAbby, Jibbs.
1. Falling Pencils

DISCLAIMER for all chapters in this story: I still own nothing. Dammit.

A/N This is something that came into my head while was I listening to 'Can't Take The Honky Tonk Out Of The Girl' by Brooks & Dunn. It was really random. I hope you like it!

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Chapter 1 – Falling Pencils

The squadroom was silent except for the occasional rustle of paper.

Jethro Gibbs was going through his files, trying his best to ignore the nearby distraction.

Anthony DiNozzo was sitting at his desk, throwing paper balls into the bin, his aim perfect.

Tony had spent two and a half years aboard the USS Ronald Reagan before returning to Gibbs' team. The replacement team had since been reassigned to another team leader, and in the six months that he had been back, Tony couldn't remember the last time he had valued working in this office so highly.

Timothy McGee was also at his desk, trying to organize his hard drive. After nearly two years in the Cyber Crimes Unit, McGee had somehow managed to get himself reassigned back to Gibbs' team.

The whole team detested Director Vance beyond words. They didn't have much to do with him, which was mostly Gibbs' doing, but on the rare occasions that Vance was in the vicinity, the tension in the air escalated to breaking point.

Tony stopped throwing paper and looked at the empty desk opposite him. Ziva David hadn't been heard from since she had been sent back to Israel three years ago.

Tony missed the now ex-Mossad liaison officer more than he thought he would, and he could only think of one reason for it; he loved her.

Not that it was the big of a surprise for him when he worked it out. Every time she was even near another guy Tony would bristle and become either jealous or overprotective. She was a big girl. She could take care of herself, but still he cared for her.

Tony redirected his gaze to the stack of nowhere near finished letters that took up and entire corner of his desk and sighed. He could never get the words right.

McGee looked over at him. "You alright Tony?"

Tony picked up a pencil and balanced it on his nose. "Why do you ask this question?"

McGee shrugged. "No reason. You just seem preoccupied."

"I'm fine Probie."

McGee looked back at his desk as his phone began to ring and answered it. "Special Agent McGee."

Tony kept all his attention on his pencil, wanting to break his previous balancing record.

"Uh, Gibbs?" McGee asked tentatively. Even though he had been back the longest out of himself and Tony, he was still not used to Gibbs' new, colder personality which had appeared after the funeral of Jenny Shepard.

"What McGee?"

"Downstairs reception just called. There is someone coming up to see you."

Gibbs got up and went over to the elevator. Tony still had the pencil perfectly balanced, only seven seconds short of his record.

The elevator door opened, and Tony heard Gibbs' exclamation.

"Ziva?"

The pencil fell to the floor.

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Please review!!


	2. Explanation

A/N Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. Hope you enjoy this one!

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Chapter 2 – Explanation

"Gibbs!" Ziva exclaimed, moving forward to hug him.

"Ziva, what….?" Gibbs said in disbelief, usual composure evaporating.

"I'm back! I'm on your team again, but this time I'm Special Agent David, not Officer!"  
Gibbs led her over to her old desk. "McGee!" she half-shouted, launching herself at him.

"Hi, Ziva. Wow," he said as they drew apart. "You're turning into Abby."

"I haven't seen you guys in three years. I'm allowed to be excited. Where is Abby?"

"Probably getting reamed by one the Director's admin weenies about the dress code again."

Ziva chuckled. "So the same?"

"Yep."

Tony, who had dived under his desk to retrieve his beloved pencil, peeked over his chair to get a look at Ziva. Her hair was longer, her skin was slightly more tanned, but otherwise she looked the same as three years ago.

"Where's Tony?" Ziva asked. "Vance said he'd be here."

"You talked to Vance?" Gibbs asked, taking his place at his desk.

"When I applied for the Special Agent status, I had to," Ziva replied. She caught a glimpse of Tony under his desk. She ran over to him and stopped, him still sitting on the floor, her beginning to feel breathless.

"Ziva," Tony breathed. He stood up and allowed her to hug him, wrapping his arms around her at the same time.

After a moment of silence, Gibbs cleared his throat. They drew apart.

Tony had a million thoughts racing through his head. Should he tell her how he felt or should he ignore it?

Ziva took her place at her desk.

"Care to tell us the full story?" Gibbs said. "Of why you're here?"

Tony looked at Ziva and had a sudden mental image.

"_I just missed you all so much. Especially you, Tony," Ziva said going over to him and kissing him._

Tony quickly shook it out of his mind.

Ziva brushed her hair behind her ears. "I went back to Israel. Saw my father," she added bitterly. "He terminated me from Mossad. And before you ask why, I don't know. I was surprised, seeing as being in Mossad was one of the few things about me that pleased him. I left just after that. I'm not planning to go back."

Gibbs watched her closely. "Then what?"

"I moved to Miami. One of my friends had a holiday home there, so I have been living there for nearly three years. I got a job in surveillance at a club. I called Vance and asked him to please let me know if a position came up on your team. I applied for Special Agent status, did the training and got it. I just had to wait for a job."

"So Vance called you here?"

"Yep. I quit my job, packed up my house and moved back to my old apartment here in Washington. Now I'm back here for good," Ziva finished dramatically, her face displaying a huge smile.

Gibbs turned back to his computer and began pushing buttons. "Good to have you back Ziva," he said.

Ziva looked at him curiously and went over to McGee. "What's up with him?" she whispered.

"This is the new Gibbs," he began, but was silenced by the ringing of Gibbs' phone.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

The team waiting in anticipation as they watched their boss receive information about their new case.

Gibbs hung up and grabbed his gear. "Murdered Petty Officer in Georgetown. I'll meet you at the car," he said as he walked off. Ziva returned to her desk and grabbed her backpack.

"Anyone care to explain?"

"You remember what Gibbs was like after Kate died?" McGee asked, seeing as Tony was still wrestling with his thoughts.

"Yes."

"He's been like that since Jenny's funeral, except that when Kate died, the new personality disappeared after about a month. This time it's still going strong."

"Didn't you leave the team when I did?" Ziva said, now confused.

"Yeah…."

"Then how do you know what Gibbs was like just after the funeral? You weren't there."

"I stayed in contact with the new team. They said Gibbs was almost impossible to work with. He's a little better now, but it's still not good."

The team began walking over to the elevator. "Do you think he'll ever be the same?" Ziva asked. The other two just shrugged as they headed down to the car.

* * *

A/N I think I rambled a bit in this chapter, so I'll probably come back and change it a bit.

Please review!


	3. Revelation

A/N Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Sorry it took a while to update...I spent lunchtime today so I wrote about two chapters for this story and two for 'Recognize'. I'l be uploading those soon.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 3 – Revelation

The arrived at the scene in silence. Gibbs was out of the car and walking into the house before the others had even unbuckled their seatbelts.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Ziva said.

Inside the house, a man was splayed out on the floor surrounded by blood.

"McGee, photos. DiNozzo, sketches. Ziva, find the weapon," Gibbs instructed as he made his way to the kitchen. The team obeyed his orders.

Tony was going crazy in his head. Ziva was back. He could tell her how he felt. Maybe they could go out on a few dates or something, even if it meant incurring the Wrath of Gibbs. But then again, it might be easier to just not think about his feelings at all and just be her friend. In his mind he pictured the pile of letters on his desk, and came to the conclusion that he had to make a decision soon.

Ziva was still talking happily. While in Miami she had loosened up considerably, and was starting to enjoy everything a lot more. "Tony, have you ever been to Miami?" she asked, but didn't receive an answer. "Tony? TONY? What is with him?" she hissed at McGee, who shrugged his shoulders. Ziva could see right though him though, and dragged him into the next room.

"Tell me what is wrong with Tony."

McGee was already intimidated by her, but didn't want to reveal what he knew.

"McGee, I can tell something is wrong with him. Basic human instinct also tells me that you might know what it is. As a member of the team, I have a right to know."

McGee checked that Tony was nowhere near the doorway and turned back to Ziva. "Ever since he got back from his assignment he has been different."

"How?"

"Every morning he would start writing something on his notepad, then give up and rip it off the pad and add it to the stack on his desk," McGee said quickly.

"That pile of paper on his desk is what's bothering him?" Ziva asked.

"Maybe he's trying to write something but can't find the words," McGee said thoughtfully.

"Oi! You two, get in here!" Tony called. Once they were all in the room again, Tony showed them the knife he had found behind the couch cushions. "I'm pretty sure it's the murder weapon."

"Ducky's here," McGee said, looking out the front door.

"I'll go say hello!" Ziva said excitedly. She almost skipped when she left the room.

"Wow, she's happy," McGee said. Tony nodded in agreement. He had come to his conclusion; he was going to tell her. He just had to find the right moment.

Gibbs entered the room. "Victim is Petty Officer Peter Hanson. Was found here by his girlfriend," he said, gesturing to the barely visible sobbing woman in the kitchen. Tony could hear Ziva telling Ducky and Jimmy her story about returning to NCIS outside.

"I think we're done here Boss," McGee said, putting his lens cap back on his camera.

"Alright, you lot go back to the squadroom. I'll stay here and talk to Ducky. Take this," Gibbs said as he gave his notebook to McGee, "and give me that," he said to Tony, who relinquished the knife. He and McGee went back outside and left Gibbs standing alone in the room.

* * *

The team walked into the squadroom, discussing what McGee had done while in the CCU. They took their places at their desks and went over Peter Hanson's file.

"Petty Officer Peter Hanson, just renewed his contract with the Marines last month," Tony said as he clicked the remote control, causing the deceased's photo to appear onscreen. "Girlfriend is Polly Longsteen. Been living together for a year," he read off of Gibbs' notes.

"Anything about him that could become a motive to kill him?" Ziva asked.

"Nope. No life insurance or anything."

"So it must be personal," Ziva said. She was trying to see over to Tony's desk and get an idea on what the letters were. Slyly she got up and stood next to Tony, pretending to look at the plasma while actually sneaking a glance at his desk.

"Hey!" Tony exclaimed when he noticed. He quickly shoved the letters into his backpack. Ziva returned to her desk, disappointed.

Ziva's phone rang. She put it on speaker. "Agent David."

"_Oh my God! Ziva! Ducky wasn't lying! How are you? Can you-"_

"Abby, we'll come down to see you now," Ziva said. She was rather enjoying having everyone being so happy to see her. They packed up their things and went down to forensics.

* * *

"ZIVA!" Abby said, launching herself at the woman who had just walked through the door. "How are you? Are you back permanently? How was Miami? Ducky told me everything."  
"I'm back for as long as I have a job here, Abby. Now could you let me go?"

"Sorry" Abby replied. She walked back over to the computer, but was still bouncing on her heels with excitement. "The whole team is back together!"

Ziva smiled, but Tony changed the subject. "Got anything for us?"

"Gibbs brought this to me when he got back with Ducky a while ago. No prints on it except for Hanson's, but I did find these," Abby said, pushing buttons on her keyboard. A photo of the knife handle appeared on screen. There were streak marks on it.

"Streaks?" McGee said.

"Yup. Streaks of animal fat."

Tony and McGee looked at each other, confused. Ziva thought of the answer.

"So the killer had fat on their hands?"

"Not exactly. If it was on their hands, I probably would have found a partial print. What I did find, though, was traces of alkyl polysaccharide surfactant and alpha-sulphonated fatty acid alkyl ester surfactant," Abby said excitedly. Everyone looked at her, confused. "Dishwashing liquid! So I'm thinking the killer was wearing gloves while doing the dishes. It explains everything! The fat would have come off the plates and been floating around in the water, sticking to the gloves."

"Excellent. Let's tell Gibbs."

* * *

They returned to the squadroom to find Gibbs at his desk. "Ducky confirmed Hanson died because of the stab wound," he said as they took their seats. McGee explained Abby's findings. "Good. Now you can all go home," Gibbs said. Ziva looked at him in disbelief.

"What? It's only 1800."

"Exactly. See you tomorrow." Ziva looked at McGee, who quickly sent her an email.

_Boss sends up home at 6 every day now. It's his new thing._

Ziva nodded at McGee, who then said something about going to see Abby and left. Ziva gathered her things.

Tony had made up his decision; he was going to tell her. He had to. Otherwise working with her would be very tricky.

"Tony?"

Tony looked up from his things and saw Ziva directly in front of him, hanging up her phone. "Yeah?"

"You parked downstairs?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Let's walk."

* * *

They were in complete silence until they reached the parking lot.

"So how have you been?" Ziva asked.

"I've been alright. You?" Tony replied, glad to finally be having a normal conversation with her.

"I've been great."

Silence.

They arrived at their car, which were parked next to each other.

"_Ok Tony, it's now or never"_ Tony said to himself. "Ziva, I have to tell you something."

Ziva smiled at him. "I have to tell you something as well."

Tony deflated a bit, but was glad to have an excuse not to say anything. _"Tony, you are pathetic"_ he thought. "You go first."

The drivers' door of Ziva's car opened, and a man with dark brown hair stepped out. Tony looked back at Ziva with a very confused look on his face.

"Tony, this is Chris," Ziva introduced. They shook hands, Tony feeling very apprehensive.

"Hi," Chris said brightly. "You must be Tony."

"Yeah. Hi," Tony replied blankly, looking back at Ziva, who was still smiling.

"He's my fiancé."

Tony felt the world go quiet. He couldn't say anything. Ziva looked at him again.

"So what did you want to tell me?"

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A/N ……

The little grey/blue button is calling you.


	4. Distracted

A/N Wow, people really don't like that Ziva's engaged...

MUAH HA HA!!

Enjoy!

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Chapter 4 – Distracted

Tony sat on his couch in silence, chewing on the hamburger he'd picked up on the way home.

He was too late. She was engaged. She was happy with someone else.

He kept picturing it in his mind.

"_He's my fiancé. So what did you want to tell me?"_

He had managed to mumble "Nothing", then climbed into his car and left. He could see them greet each other in his rear-view mirror.

What would happen now? Could he keep working with Ziva without being distracted?

The doorbell rang, waking Tony from his thoughts. He went over and opened the door. He froze.

"Hi," Ziva said.

"Hi."

Silence again.

"I brought dessert with me," Ziva said, holding up the plastic bag she was holding.

"That's very unlike you," Tony replied. Ziva grinned and walked inside.

A few minutes later they were eating ice cream. Tony had turned on the T.V so they could at least have background noise.

"So you liked Miami?" Tony asked finally.

"Oh, yes," Ziva replied. She began telling him various details about things she'd done, but Tony kept zoning out and staring at her. HE quickly diverted his attention to the television.

Ziva paused for a moment. "I keep thinking about it."

Tony looked at her. "Thinking about what?"

"What happened in L.A."

There was another silence, but this time it was appropriate.

"We failed her," Ziva said quietly.

"It wasn't our fault," Tony replied.

Ziva scoffed slightly. "You honestly, whole-heartedly believe that?"

Tony thought for a moment. "No," he admitted. "But it's not like we disobeyed her and that's why it happened." He paused. "I think Ducky was right."

"Right about what?"

"That they way Jenny died was more favourable than the way she was going to."  
"I suppose you are right," Ziva agreed, smiling weakly.

They started watching a movie that had just started on T.V.

After a while, Tony noticed the time. "God! Look at the time! 2230!"

Ziva glanced at her watch. "So?"

"Shouldn't you be at home?" Tony asked, trying to sound concerned rather than jealous.

"Why?"

"I don't know…" Tony replied lamely.

Ziva laughed. "Chris got called into work. He's a bartender," she explained.

"Oh," Tony said. "Alright then."

They watched another movie, which finished at 1:30. Tony had dozed off, and woke just in time to see the credits.

He looked to his right. Ziva was sleeping, using the couch armrest as a pillow.

Tony watched her for a moment before regaining his senses. After covering her with a blanket, he went to his own room.

* * *

"TONY!"

Tony woke with a start. "What the…."

Ziva stood in front of him. "Time for work. Come on," she said, throwing a shirt at him before leaving the room. Tony quickly pulled on his clothes and found her in the kitchen eating toast and reading the paper.

"_Daddy!" shrieked the little girl who sat next to her mother at the table. Tony went over and kissed her good morning._

"_Hi honey. You sleep alright?" Ziva asked, turning the page of the paper._

"_Yeah," Tony replied, kissing her hello as well._

"TONY!"

Tony snapped out of his daydream. "What?"

"Are you alright?" You've been standing there for a full minutes without moving," Ziva said.

"I'm fine."

"Good. I hope you don't mind, but I made breakfast. You really should go grocery shopping," she added. Tony grinned; his cupboards barely ever contained food, mostly because he preferred takeaway.

Ten minutes later they were in the car on the way to work.

Ziva's phone rang. "It's Chris," she said. Tony gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"Hello? Oh, hi! Yeah, I'm fine. I stayed with a friend," Ziva said into the mouthpiece. "Alright, I'll see you tonight. Bye."

"Everything okay?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. Apparently he didn't find the note I'd left for him last night."

"Alright then."

* * *

They arrived at NCIS to find Gibbs and McGee at their desks.

"Anything new?" Ziva asked.

"Hanson's girlfriend has disappeared. McGee's tracing her mobile now," Gibbs explained.

"Got a hit Boss. She's outside 769 Canola Crescent, Silver Springs."

Ziva gasped.

"What?" McGee asked.

"That's my apartment!"

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A/N I couldn't remember exactly where Ziva lived, I just remember Silver Springs.

Please review!


	5. Still The Same

A/N I have been finding this story really hard to write. I hope you enjoy it!

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Chapter 5 – Still The Same

"Well, she's not here now," Gibbs said as they arrived at Ziva's apartment. There were no cars; in fact, apart from them, the street was empty.

"Give me a second," Ziva said, running to her front door and going inside. Gibbs and the team followed.

"Chris!" Ziva called out. Chris appeared from the hallway.

"Ziva! Um, what are you doing here? I thought you get home around 6:30."

"Usually. But we tracked someone from our case's mobile to being park outside. Did you see anyone?"

Chris shook his head. "Nope. No-one's been here."

Gibbs cleared his throat. "Oh, right! Gibbs, this is Chris…." Ziva introduced McGee, Gibbs and Chris. Gibbs gave them his congratulations and promptly left the room.

"Don't ask," Ziva muttered to a bewildered Chris. "Well, I'll be home later tonight."

"Bye," Chris replied, kissing her on the cheek. Tony flinched slightly.

"You alright?" McGee asked Tony in the car.

"I'm fine."

Ziva turned from where she sat in the front seat to look at Tony. Something was wrong with him, and she was going to find out what it was.

* * *

Back in the squadroom, Gibbs was agitated. He kept looking up and the catwalk, even after three years, expecting to see Jenny coming down to see him. He tried to focus on the case.

He stood up. "Alright, what do we know?" he barked. The team scrambled up from their desks and assembled in front of the plasma.

"Petty Officer Peter Hanson, stabbed once in the chest fatally. No insurance or will," McGee rattled off.

"Girlfriend named Polly Longsteen, been living with Hanson for a year. She was the one who found the body when she got home from her jog," Ziva said, making pictures of Polly and Hanson appear onscreen.

"Hey, I just thought of something. Together, they're Peter and Polly. Get it? Peter and Polly….which is completely irrelevant," Tony said. It was the first time in days that his DiNozzo-style humour had surfaced. "Always been a fan of alliteration," he muttered.

"Polly disappeared this morning and was traced to being outside of Ziva's house, but wasn't there when we arrived," McGee said.

"What do we know about the killer?" Gibbs asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Killer was doing dishes when they stabbed Hanson."

"McGee, put another trace on the girlfriend's phone," Gibbs instructed.

"You think Polly killed Peter?" Tony asked. Ziva punched him in the arm.

"Boss, got a hit," McGee announced. "She's at the Evergreen Motel in Georgetown."

"Call the reception there. See if she's checked in."

McGee did that, and hung up minutes later. "She's checked in. Apparently she stays there one night every two weeks."

"One night every two weeks….." Ziva repeated quietly.

Gibbs looked at her. "Problem?"

"No. It just sounds familiar for some reason….." Ziva drifted off.

"Right. Well, let's go," Gibbs said. They grabbed their gear and headed to the elevator.

* * *

"NCIS! Open up, Miss Longsteen!" Gibbs called through the door. They heard a window open and close inside the room.

"It can never be easy," Tony muttered.

"Get her," Gibbs ordered. They took off down the corridor.

Outside on the ground Tony looked towards the roof. "Boss, she's on the roof," he said into his microphone.

"We'll bring her down," Gibbs replied. He and McGee had gone upstairs while Tony and Ziva had headed for the ground.

"Don't criminals usually head downstairs on the ladder? I didn't think they'd head for the roof," Ziva said thoughtfully.

"You'd be surprised at what they'd do," Tony replied.

About ten minutes later Gibbs and McGee met them at the car, escorting a very disgruntled and disappointed Polly.

"Got her," McGee said. "She didn't disappear; she ran."

Polly didn't say anything as they put her in the car.

* * *

McGee, Ziva and Tony were standing in the interrogation observation room, watching Polly through the glass.

"Why did Gibbs put her in there?" Ziva asked. "She didn't actually commit a crime."

"Gibbs probably thinks she did. I mean, she did run from us," Tony replied.

They watched as Gibbs entered the room and took a seat opposite Polly. "Why'd you run?" he asked, getting directly to the point.

Polly leant back on her chair and folded her arms across her chest. "I want a lawyer."

"Feeling guilty?"

"So anyone who wants a lawyer is guilty?" Polly said. "God."

"You know, for someone who just lost their boyfriend, who had lived with them for a year, you don't seem to upset," Gibbs said.

"Here we go. Showtime," Tony said. McGee nodded in agreement.

Polly clicked her tongue in her mouth. "I was going to break up with him."

"And when he didn't listen you turned on him with a knife?" Gibbs predicted.

Polly leant forward and looked him directly in the eyes. "I want a lawyer, and I'm not saying anything else until I get one."

Gibbs stood up and left the room.

* * *

"Now what do we do?" McGee said as they returned to their desks. "She's not going to tell us anything."

"Find something to use against her. I don't care what it is, just do it," Gibbs said.

"She said she was going to break up with him," Ziva remembered. "I'll find out why," she added as Gibbs glared at her.

Gibbs got up and walked out. "Don't tell me he's still working on that damn boat," Ziva said.

"Yep. Every time he needs to think he goes there."

"Some things never change," Ziva chuckled. Tony smiled at her, but turned his eyes back to his desk when she looked at him.

* * *

By 9:00 that night, the team were still working. Since their leader wasn't there, they figured they could defy his rule about leaving early.

"Who's up for dinner?" Tony said, breaking the silence that had been there for over an hour. They still hadn't found any leads.

"Absolutely," McGee said, and Ziva nodded in agreement.

They were just getting into the elevator when Ziva thought of something.

"I'd better call Chris and tell him I'll be late again. Bring me back something," she said. She had called him earlier that night, but now she was going to be even later than she planned. She quickly slipped through the doors before either of the others could stop her.

The doors closed and Tony had a sudden thought.

Ziva was alone in the squadroom.

With full access to his desk.

And his giant stack of letters which he had stashed in his drawer.

The one's that would complicate things between them almost beyond repair.

Tony leant against the elevator wall. "Oh, crap."

* * *

A/N Review please!


	6. Frozen

A/N I really need feedback on this chapter. I didn't plan it as much as I usually do.

* * *

Chapter 6 – Frozen

Gibbs was in his basement, taking a break from working on his boat. He poured himself another jar-full of bourbon and sat down at the workbench. After a while he began to drift off…….

_He was sitting on the couch in the director's office, staring at the window. Vance wasn't sitting at the desk, but someone else was._

"_What are you doing to yourself Jethro?" Jenny asked, her voice echoing slightly. She was wearing the same outfit that she had died in, the bloodstain still on her sleeve._

"_What do you mean?" Gibbs asked. Jenny got up and sat next to him._

"_You have been completely morose and distant for three years. Even now that you have your whole team back you haven't changed," she said._

"_Yes I have," Gibbs argued, but she overruled him._

"_No, you haven't. You hadn't seen Ziva for three whole years and all you could say when you did see her was 'Good to have you back'. Then she told you she was engaged and happy and all you could do was mutter 'Congratulations' and leave the room. You are different."_

"_It's not just me that's different," Gibbs said. "You…" he trailed off._

"_I was going to die anyway," Jenny said, putting her hand on his shoulder._

"_Why didn't you tell me you were sick?" Gibbs said, suddenly annoyed. "You said you were fine."_

"_I was fine. I just knew I wouldn't be fine after a while." Gibbs raised his eyebrows at her. "Jethro, I was going to tell you."_

"_I know. I found the letter. But-"_

"_Can we move on from me not telling you I was going to die?" Jenny said impatiently. "Even if I had of told you I was sick you still wouldn't have had any warning that I was going to get shot."_

_Gibbs stared at her arm. The blood looked like it was still wet, but it wasn't flowing. "Alright," he sighed._

"_Your team needs the old Gibbs back. You've mourned me enough," Jenny said._

"_I'm not-"_

"_Accept that I'm not coming back, and that it was no-one's fault that I died. If someone has to be blamed, blame me. I should have told you and the others what was going on. Just go back to being yourself."_

_Gibbs sighed. "Alright."_

"_Good." Jenny got up and went to the door. "Jethro?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Give Vance hell for me."_

_Gibbs smiled for the first time in ages. "Will do."_

Gibbs woke up suddenly to the sound of smashing glass; his slack hand had dropped his jar as he slept. He got up continued working on the boat.

But now, he was smiling.

* * *

"I'll just be later than I planned. I'll definitely see you in the morning," Ziva said into her phone. "Love you too, bye," she said, hanging up. Chris didn't mind her working late.

Ziva looked around. The whole squadroom was empty. Perfect opportunity to do some investigating.

She went over and sat at McGee's desk. As usual, it was the tidiest desk of anyone on the team. Ziva opened his draw.

Inside was a small framed photo of McGee and Abby. They were at a park somewhere, and Abby was standing behind McGee with her arms draped over his shoulders. They looked happy together. Ziva smiled and set the photo back down.

Next she went to Gibbs's desk. The only difference that he'd made in three years was adding another photo on his wall. It was partially hidden behind a poster of NCIS protocols, but she could see the corner. Ziva looked closer.

The photo that had been there for many years was of a tombstone that read 'Shannon Gibbs. Beloved Wife and Mother'. Ziva bit back a small sob. She knew the story behind Shannon and Kelly, and still found it upsetting sometimes.

The newest photo was one she hadn't seen before. She pulled it out and examined it.

It was in Paris; she could tell by the Eiffel Tower in the background. In the foreground, however, were two people standing with their arms around each other.

Jenny was smiling at the camera, but Gibbs was looking at her. Ziva had never seen him look at anyone or anything like that.

Putting the photo back where she had found it, she headed over to Tony's desk. For some reason she felt like she was intruding his space, something she had not felt with Gibbs' desk. After quickly considering just leaving his desk alone, Ziva opened the drawer.

The last time she had seen the drawer's contents, there had been a gun, a badge, stationary and various magazines in there. This time it was different.

Inside there was a stack of paper, at least 500 sheets, all crinkled and looking like they had been read many times.

Ziva took the first few off the pile and thought about reading them.

Tony had been very secretive about these letters. He was so different compared to the last time they had worked together. Ziva knew people changed over time, but not this much.

She began to read.

_Dear Ziva,_

_I need to tell you something. I_

The letter wasn't finished. She read the next few.

_Ziva,_

_There's something that I should_

_To Ziva_

_How are you? I hope you are_

_Dear Ziva,_

_I love you._

Ziva froze. She read it over and over again.

_I love you. I love you. I love you._

This was what his secret was. He loved her. Tony loved Ziva.

Ziva felt small tears run down her face, but didn't bother to wipe them away. She just stared at those three words.

_I love you._

The elevator dinged.

"Hey. McGee wanted to go see Abby for a minute. We got you a-" Tony began, but stopped when he reached his desk. Ziva tore her eyes from the page and looked up at him. Tony saw what she was looking at and dropped the bag of food that he was holding.

"You…you read…..the letters?" he managed to say. Ziva nodded. Tony turned and ran to the elevator, leaving Ziva in silence.

* * *

A/N Review please!!

I really like this chapter but I'm still not sure about it. Feedback is good...


	7. Impasse

A/N Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

* * *

Chapter 7 – Impasse

Tony was lying on his bed. He was sure he had broken a few laws getting home so quickly, but he had desperately wanted to get away from NCIS. From Ziva.

She knew his secret now. The secret he had tried so hard to keep from her. Then again, maybe he had wanted her to find out. If he really wanted her to remain in the dark, he would have either shredded the letters or taken them home, not leave them in his desk drawer.

His phone vibrated on the bedside table. He checked the caller I.D

'Ziva D'.

He let the phone ring out. He was mad at her for going through his things, but mostly he just wanted to be alone.

* * *

Ziva put her phone back on her desk. After 12 unanswered calls, she was pretty sure he wasn't going to be answering any time soon.

She knew she should have listened to her instincts when they said she was invading Tony's privacy. But no. She had to go and read his private letters.

Ziva went down to forensics in search of someone to talk to. She walked in to see Abby and McGee sitting at the desk, laughing at something McGee had just said.

"Abby?"

Abby took one look at Ziva's face and knew that it was important. "We'll continue this later," she whispered to McGee, who quickly went to the elevator and left.

Abby sat Ziva down on the chair opposite her. "Spill."

"Did you know about Tony?" Ziva said. She had just managed to stop the tears, but she could feel them welling up in her eyes again.

"What about him?" Abby said, confused.

"About him…..and his feelings for me."

Abby looked away. Of course she knew. It was obvious to everyone. After Jeanne had left, all those years ago, Abby and McGee had started placing bets as to when Ziva and Tony would start dating.

Ziva noticed Abby's expression. "So you did know."

"Not officially!" Abby exclaimed, trying to redeem herself. "I always thought that you and Tony were perfect for each other! Why are you asking?" she added out of curiosity. Ziva explained about the letters. It would only be a matter of time before Abby found out anyway.

"I thought you loved him too," Abby said.

Ziva cringed a bit. "I did," she said quietly. "But I just never did anything about it. Then I got sent back to Israel and everything changed."

"Oh yeah. Chris," Abby said.

"Yeah. But I love Chris! We're getting married in a year!" Ziva said.

Abby was silent for a moment. "Ziva?" she asked tentatively.

"What?"

"Do you still love Tony?"

Ziva paused for a moment, which pretty much answered Abby's question. "Ok then," Abby said.

"I don't know! I never really thought about it until now," Ziva said weakly.

"You should probably think about it some more before you marry someone else," Abby said. Ziva nodded and headed back upstairs to go home.

* * *

The next morning Gibbs walked into the squadroom to see Tony and Ziva determinedly avoiding each other's gaze. He considered saying something, but thought better of it. He took his place at his desk before speaking.

"Anything new on the case?" he said.

"I checked as many traffic cameras as I could that Polly would have gone past on her run. She wasn't on any of them," Ziva said. Tony glared at her, causing her to duck her head back down in shame. She was still feeling guilty over the previous night.

Gibbs stood up. "Both of you, in the elevator. Now!" he said.

Tony and Ziva walked into the elevator and turned to face Gibbs.

"You two are going to talk. You're going to work out whatever is going on between you. Do not come out until it's sorted," he ordered. He let the doors close before either one of them could argue.

Tony shut down the elevator and leant against the wall, staring at his shoes.

Ziva realised he wasn't going to say anything. "Tony?" He didn't respond. He was still angry at her, but mostly he was just really humiliated, something that didn't happen very often. He was used to being shown up by Gibbs, but this was on a whole new level of shame.

Ziva sighed and swung her head slightly. "I'm sorry, alright? I know Gibbs says it's a sign of weakness to apologise but there it is. I'm sorry," she said, frustrated.

"Fine. Can we go now?" Tony said, reaching for the emergency switch. Ziva stood in front of it.

"We have to talk about this."

"Talk about what?" Tony asked, his voice cracking slightly. He hadn't talked much since last night.

"Don't play dumb, Tony," Ziva said angrily. She was reverting to her old self quickly. "You know exactly what."

"No, I-"

"How long have you been writing those letters?"

"Ziva, I-"

"How long?"

Tony paused for a moment. He knew he was already busted; now she just wanted additional information.

"Since you left. Three years ago."

Ziva breathed deeply a few times. "You have to deal with your…..feelings. I can't reciprocate. I'm with someone else," she said, mostly to herself. She looked up at Tony. "It's how it has to be."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Tony exclaimed, suddenly fired up. "God, Ziva, I know that!"

"Then why did you write those letters? I'm guessing that this was the thing you wanted to tell me in the carpark."

"Well, yeah, Ziva. But then you spilled your news."  
"Don't make this my fault!"

"It is your fault! You went into my desk!" Tony exclaimed.

"Well, you, I, you were…." Ziva stuttered, but she couldn't say it.

"You were just being inquisitive, curious, prying," Tony said.

"Alright, I was! I just wanted to know what was going on with you. I knew it had something to do with the letters, so I checked them out."

There was silence for a minute, Tony and Ziva both staring at each other.

"I guess we're at an impasse then," Tony said.

"I think we should just ignore this. Like I said before, you have to deal with these feelings that you have for……me," Ziva said slowly.

"Fine," Tony said, turning his attention to the door.

"Fine," Ziva said. She flicked the switch and they returned to the squadroom.

* * *

"Polly got her lawyer. Gibbs wants us to go down there now," McGee said as the elevator doors opened. They headed to interrogation.

* * *

A/N I hope you liked it!

Review please!

**Preview from upcoming chapter...**

"Who is it?" Ziva said curiously, slapping Tony away. A second later she dropped the phone.

"Who is it?" Tony said, looking at her in concern.

Ziva looked furious. "Someone who is going to die very, very soon."


	8. Conversation

A/N Sorry for the lack of update...huh. I can't think of an excuse.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8 – Conversation

"Why were you going to break up with Hanson?" Gibbs asked. Polly's lawyer nodded at her.

"Who is this lawyer guy?" Tony asked, putting more peanuts in his mouth.

"Harry Thompson. Apparently he's new in the industry," McGee said. "He doesn't know a thing about working against Gibbs."

"Shhh!" Ziva hissed, jerking her head to the window. "I'm trying to listen!"

"I found someone else," Polly said bluntly.

"Someone else got a name?"

"My client does not have to disclose that information unless he is directly involved in your case," Harry said.

"How do you know he isn't?" Gibbs replied.

"Well, I, I-"

"Miss Longsteen, a name please?"

Polly leant forward. "He had nothing to do with this."

"Tell me his name and I'll ask him myself."

"He didn't do it!" Polly suddenly shrieked. Harry looked at her in surprise. "I told Peter I was leaving and he got angry. It was self defence!" she said, looking desperately at Harry, who looked completely clueless.

Gibbs got up and walked out the door.

* * *

"She's lying," Gibbs said as they went back down to the squadroom.

"How can you tell?" McGee asked.

"She's covering for her other boyfriend."

"But Polly being the killer makes everything fit together. She lied about being on her jog. She was doing the dishes while talking to Hanson about her other boyfriend, Hanson got aggressive, she turned on him with a nearby knife," McGee said. He fell silent when he saw Gibbs' expression.

"It doesn't feel right, McGee. DiNozzo, David, find the boyfriend," Gibbs instructed. "McGee, go keep and eye on Polly and that idiot who calls himself a lawyer." McGee scuttled off.

"I'll check her phone records," Tony said, glad to have another excuse to work by himself. Ziva rolled her eyes and sat at her desk.

"You two sort out your issues?" Gibbs asked, looking at them both. Ziva and Tony just stared back at him. Gibbs sighed, trying to stay positive like Jenny had told him to. He turned his attention to his desk.

Suddenly a chill fell over the squadroom. Gibbs looked up to see Vance approaching.

"Agent Gibbs," he greeted. Gibbs just looked at him. Tony and Ziva determinedly avoided eye contact with everyone else.

"Do you have any idea who was here between ten o'clock last night and eight this morning?" Vance said, coming to halt in front of Gibbs' desk.

"No."

"Oh. I only ask because someone seems to have scratched my settee with a bunch of toothpicks that they left on the floor behind my desk. I know that you are often in the office at odd hours, therefore you might have seen who was here."

"No," Gibbs repeated, this time just managing to conceal the smile that wanted to display itself.

"Alright then. Just thought I'd check," Vance said. He lingered for a moment before going back upstairs.

"Dumb shmuck," Tony said under his breath. Gibbs grinned. _That was for you, Jen._

"What should I do?" Ziva asked Gibbs.

"Anything to find out who her boyfriend is," Gibbs replied.

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"Don't apologise."

An hour passed, the only noise being Tony or Ziva typing on their keyboards.

"Boss, got something," Tony announced.

"About time, DiNozzo."

"Well, I checked Polly's email as well. No recurring email addresses, but she does like signing up for newsletters-"

"DiNozzo."

"Right, yeah. I checked all of her phone records; home and her two mobiles, and I got three recurring numbers. One was her mum, and one was a work colleague. I'm still waiting on the name for the third number."

"Work colleague?"

"Female. Definitely not her boyfriend," Tony said. Ziva snorted slightly, but managed to compose herself.

"So we just wait for the other number's owner to be identified," she said.

"I'll get McGee to wait for that. You two go get lunch for us," Gibbs said. Tony and Ziva looked at him.

"Uh, Boss-"

"I'll stay here…."

"One of us can go-"

"Both of you. Go on," Gibbs said, jerking his thumb to the elevator. "Just bring food back for me and McGee; eat yours while you're out. It'll be good for you to not be in the office."

Slowly Tony and Ziva grabbed what they needed and headed to the elevator.

* * *

They travelled downtown without speaking. It seemed that whatever they did they did in silence.

"Here good?" Tony said, pulling into a spot near a café. Ziva nodded slightly.

Inside they placed their order and waited at their table, avoiding eye contact. Their food arrived.

Ziva couldn't take it anymore. "You are going to talk to me eventually, right?"

"I guess."

"I already apologised about going into your desk. I don't know what else I can do," Ziva said. Then she had a brainwave. "I have an idea."  
"What?"

"Pretend I'm not Ziva. Pretend I'm someone else. Someone like a friend. Someone you can tell everything to."

"And…?"

"Tell me what's on your mind."

He looked at her in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Absolutely."

Tony took a deep breath. He wanted to be able to talk to someone, but talk to Ziva about Ziva? Not likely.

Ziva noticed his hesitation. "It'll help."

"Alright," Tony said, realising that if he didn't talk to her now, he would either eventually go nuts holding it inside or eventually go nuts and yell it for everyone to hear.

"Five years ago, just after my boss came back from his temporary retirement, I started to...like...my partner, Ziva," he said, talking mostly to his fork.

Ziva nodded at him, encouraging him to go on.

"I was on an undercover assignment at the time, and I fell in love with the woman I was dating during the mission. I knew Ziva was worried about me, because I was disappearing from work often. I even suspected that she might like me as well." He hoped his fork appreciated being told all of this.

Ziva breathed in sharply. Did Tony really know how she felt?

"Then Jeanne and I broke up. Ziva tried to help me feel better. I pushed her away mostly, but I did appreciate her being there. God, this is nuts," Tony muttered.

"Keep going! You're doing well!" Ziva said.

"Then we had a case where Ziva went undercover for a while. She ended up sleeping with someone who was involved in the case. I wasn't mad, but I was jealous. I was going to tell her how I felt. I planned to. But then some major things happened, and she and I ended up getting separated, her being sent to Israel, me being sent to the USS Ronald Reagan."

"And then……?" Ziva said.

"I went back to NCIS after two and a half years. Ziva wasn't there. No-one there had heard from her since she went back to Israel. I still wanted to tell her how I felt, so I started writing letters to her. I could never find the right words though," Tony said. His fork was still refusing to answer. "_Rude"_ Tony thought to himself.

"What did you do then?" Ziva asked. She was rather enjoying herself, being told all of this information.

"I kept all the letters on my desk as a reminder that I had to eventually write one and send it," he said. Strangely enough, this was actually helping. "I realised that I didn't just like her, I loved her."

Ziva looked away for a moment, but fixed her eyes back on him when he continued.

"Then Ziva came back. She was different, but still I loved her. I hadn't seen her in three years, and then suddenly she was standing right in front of me. I decided to tell her how I felt. I waited until we were alone, walking to the carpark. I said I had to tell her something, and she said she had to tell me something as well. I was happy to have the opportunity to waste some time, so I let her go first.

"She told me she was now engaged. I had no idea what to do, so I left," Tony said. He was starting to find it difficult to talk about Ziva to 'fake' Ziva, but he continued. "I was too late. She had found someone else, and I was left with nothing. She ended up reading the letters, without my permission, I should add. Once again, I didn't know what to do. I hadn't planned on her finding out that way. I was mad, but I was more humiliated than anything."

Ziva was silent for a moment. "I am sorry, Tony, for reading the letters. Really I am."

"I know."

"What do we do about this now?" Ziva said.

"I don't know. I'm happy that you are happy. I'm sure Chris is a good guy."

Ziva smiled. "He is. You'd like him."

Tony snorted. "You sure about that?"

"Alright, given the circumstances, maybe you wouldn't," Ziva said. "Are you alright now?"

"I will be."

"Good."

They finished eating, now talking about some of their cases from years ago. It was good, just like old times. The only thing that was different was the small diamond ring on Ziva's left hand. _"Why didn't I notice that when I first saw her?"_ Tony thought furiously.

Ziva noticed him watching her hand. "I wasn't wearing my ring until after I had told everyone I was engaged," she said, as if she was reading his mind.

"Ok then," Tony said, finishing off his sandwich. _"Ha! So I'm not a total idiot!"_ he thought happily.

Ziva's phone started ringing. "David."

"_Get back here. Now,"_ said Gibbs' voice.

"What's the hurry?" she replied. Tony leant in to listen as well.

"_Got a hit on the ID on the last recurring number on Polly's phone."_

"Who is it?" Ziva said curiously, slapping Tony away. A second later she dropped the phone.

"Who is it?" Tony said, looking at her in concern.

Ziva looked furious. "Someone who is going to die very, very soon."

* * *

A/N Please review!


	9. Time

A/N Sorry it took a while to update. I've been having 'creative issues' (i.e me not being able to think of something and then throwing my pencil at the wall).

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9 - Time

"I can't believe this," Ziva said. She was torn between wanting to cry and wanting to cause him much physical pain.

The team was in the observation room, looking at Chris Wells through the glass.

"How long were you dating him before you got engaged?" Gibbs asked Ziva.

"Two and a half years. I met him my first day in Miami."

"And you don't think he could be involved?"

"I don't know what to think. It could be a mix up or……something," Ziva tried frantically.

Tony hated watching her being on the verge of breaking down.

"Go back to the squadroom while I-"

"No, Gibbs. I'm staying here," Ziva said boldly. He stared at her for a moment.

"Alright. McGee, with me," he said, and they left the room.

Tony turned to his partner. "Ziva-"

"It makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"Remember? 'One night every two weeks'. Chris goes to a training thing for work every two weeks. He'd leave in the morning and get back the next night."

"So?"

Ziva stayed silent.

"_It'll be alright, Ziva. He's a moron for doing this to you," Tony said._

"_I should have just asked you out when I had the chance all those years ago," Ziva replied, looking him in the eye. For a second they remained motionless, until Tony stepped forward and kissed her._

"Tony?"

Tony's daydream crashed down. Again. "What?"

"You drifted off again," Ziva said. "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing," Tony replied quickly. "They're starting," he said as Gibbs and McGee walked into interrogation.

"Why the hell am I here?" Chris said, standing up. "I haven't done anything!"

"Sit down!" Gibbs shouted, grabbing the front of Chris's shirt and jerking him downwards.

"Hey man, what gives?"

"Is Polly Longsteen your girlfriend?"

Chris paled slightly, but kept his composure. "Yeah."

Ziva's body slumped forward. Tears began to run down her cheeks.

"Ziva?" Tony said cautiously.

"Shh," she replied. The only thing worse than crying in public was be comforted in public because of crying.

"So you've got a girlfriend and a fiancée?" McGee asked incredulously. Gibbs was too angry to talk.

"Look, I-"

"You already know that we're on Ziva's team. Your stuffed no matter what you do now, so I suggest you tell the truth," Gibbs said.

Chris was silent for a moment. "I met Ziva just after Polly and I broke up and she moved to Washington. After two weeks for dating Ziva, Polly called me."

"What happened then?"

"I flew down from Miami to see her. We began dating again."

Gibbs was furious. How could someone do this to someone on his team? "So you were dating two women at once?"

"I was going to break up with one of them eventually. I just had to make a decision," Chris said desperately.

"But you didn't."

"I loved them both. Ziva and Polly."

"And you proposed to Ziva?" Gibbs asked.

"I figured if she said no I would ask Polly."

Gibbs shook his head in disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Ok, look, I know it isn't a crime to have two girlfriends at once. What I want to know is why I was dragged in here," Chris said.

"Polly had a boyfriend as well. Did you know that?" Gibbs said, but was disappointed when Chris didn't look surprised.

"Peter. They lived together. That's why she and I always met at the Evergreen Motel."

"Did you know that he's dead?" Gibbs said. He had him cornered.

Chris looked sideways. "No."

"He's lying!" Ziva exclaimed from observation, tears starting to slow down but still present. Tony was standing in the corner.

"Fine," Gibbs said. He motioned to McGee, and they left the room.

* * *

"Uh, Boss?" Tony asked when they all sat down in the squadroom.

"What?"

"Ziva's gone. We left observation and came down here. I thought she was behind me but when I turned around she was gone."

"Why would she leave?" McGee asked. He received death glares from both Tony and Gibbs.

"She just found out that her fiancé was cheating on her, and that he was going to use his other girlfriend as a backup. How would you feel?" Gibbs said, beginning to walk off to get coffee.

"Oh. Right."

"Boss, can I-"

"No, DiNozzo, you may not go and find her," Gibbs said. He leant over to Tony over his desk. "Give her time," he said quietly before walking off.

* * *

A/N Please review!


	10. Truth

A/N Elle made me update this. Just thought I'd let you know. :)

* * *

Chapter 10 - Truth

Gibbs returned to the office with coffee, and they spent three hours in the squadroom before he announced they were going back down to interrogation. "Time to find out what happened to Peter."

"What about-"

"We'll fill in Ziva later, McGee."

"Ok then."

Tony and McGee watched Gibbs enter Polly's room.

"What happened that day that Peter was killed?" Gibbs asked, sounding almost pleasant.

"I told you already. I was doing the dishes and I ending up telling Peter I wanted out."

"You were going to break up with Peter so you could be with Christopher Wells?" Gibbs asked.

"How did you find out-"

"Traced your phone records. Answer the question Miss Longsteen."

"Ok, yes, I was going to break up with Peter so I could be with Chris," Polly said.

"You do know that Chris is engaged, right?"

"I was hoping I could get him back," Polly said quietly.

Gibbs stood up and walked out.

"Round two," he said as he went into Chris's room.

"When was the last time you went to Polly Longsteen's house?" he asked as he sat down.

"If I tell the truth, can I get a deal?" Chris said, as if proud of himself for coming up with the idea.

"Like I said before, you're stuff no matter what you do, but generally telling the truth earns you bonus points."

Chris sighed and ran his hands over his face. "Is Ziva alright?"

"How do you think she is?" Gibbs said angrily.

"Can you tell her-"

"I'm not telling her anything for you. Now, answer the question. When were you last at Polly Longsteen's house?"

"Two weeks ago. I come to Washington every two weeks."

Gibbs's phone buzzed. He pulled it out and read the on-screen text message. "WELLS AT LONGSTEEN'S HOME MORNING OF DEATH. TRACED HIS GPS." Gibbs turned and nodded at the observation room, indicating his thanks to McGee.

"Wow. You just interrupted Gibbs's interrogation and you're still alive," Tony said in observation. McGee grinned.

"So you moved to Washington from Miami with Ziva, and then you visited Polly the morning of Peter's murder."

"What? No, I just said-"

"We traced your car GPS dirtbag. You lied," Gibbs said. "Care to tell us the truth now?"

"Crap," Chris muttered. "I didn't want this to happen."

"What did you expect to happen when you got involved with two women at once and a murder?"

"I didn't kill anyone!"

"Then tell me who did!" Gibbs half-shouted.

"It was Polly, alright? I went over to her place to tell her I was staying with Ziva. I walked in to find her holding the knife and Peter on the ground," Chris said, almost like he was going to cry.

"Haha. Cracked him," Tony laughed. He quickly stifled it to hear the rest of the conversation.

"Then what happened?" Gibbs said.

"Polly was freaking out with the knife."

"Who put it behind the cushions?"

Chris swallowed. "I did. We came up with the story that she would say she got home from her jog and find the body." He could tell everything was crashing down around him.

"Why did Polly go round to your house later?" Gibbs asked.

"She came over to tell me that you guys had interviewed her and were investigating the case. Then she left. Look, I didn't kill Peter. All I did was stash the knife."

"You could have called the cops."

Chris leant back on his chair. "What happens now? Can I get a deal?"

"Um…no," Gibbs said, leaving the room.

* * *

"McGee, arrest them both. Don't let them see each other," Gibbs said when he entered observation.

"On it."

Once he was gone, Gibbs turned to Tony. "Go find her."

"Who?"

"Ziva."

"Oh. Right," Tony said quickly before heading out the door.

* * *

"Ziva?" Tony called as he knocked on the front door. There was no reply. "Ziva! It's Tony!"

No reply.

Drawing his gun, Tony opened the front door and went inside.

The kitchen and lounge room were a mess. Pillows were all over the floor, blankets looked like they had been thrown on the ground, even a chair was tipped over. "Ziva?" Tony repeated.

He advanced into the hallway. On the ground were smashed photo frames, their contents covered in glass. Photos of Ziva, of Chris, and some of them together.

The bedroom was in no better shape than the lounge room. The doona was on the ground and the lamp was on. "Ziva, are you even home?"

He heard a noise from the ensuite. He pushed the door open. "Ziva?"

She was sitting against the wall, surrounded by towels and a length of toilet paper.

"Ziva? Are you okay?" Tony said from the doorway.

* * *

A/N Please review! New chapter coming soon!


	11. Choices

* * *

Chapter 11 - Choices

"Ziva?"

"What's going on at work?" she said. Tony sat down next to her putting his hands on his knees.

"You want me to tell you?"

"Yeah."

Tony explained how Polly had been doing the dishes when she and Peter had gotten into the argument. How Polly had stabbed Peter just as Chris was arriving at the house. How Chris had come up with the story and hiding the knife. How Polly actually was at Ziva's house earlier. How Chris was going to tell Polly he was going to stay with Ziva.

"What are you gonna do?"

Ziva accepted the tissue he was passing her. "Well, I'm definitely not gonna marry him now."

"So it's over?"

"Uh, yeah. Did you not see the state of my house?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah."

"I was a bit angry when I got home," Ziva said.

"So…"

"I was ready, you know?"

Tony looked at her. "Um…no."

"I was the 'evil ninja chick', and I changed. I was going to marry someone, and then the whole thing fell apart," Ziva said.

"You'll be alright," Tony said.

"Yeah. I'll go back to being the person who never says anything about anything," Ziva muttered.

"Ziva, you don't have to go back to how you were three years ago. Not that there was anything wrong with how you were, but yeah. There is nothing wrong with however you are," Tony said quickly.

"Really?"  
"Absolutely."

Ziva smiled and put her head on Tony's shoulder. "So now what?"

"Huh?"

"What do I do now?"

"That's up to you."

* * *

"Gibbs. I need to talk to you," Abby said as she pulled a chair over to his desk.

"What's up," Gibbs said, putting his pen down.

"Ok, I know that you have rules. I mean, everyone has rules. Even buildings, like to come into NCIS you have to go through the metal detectors. Hey this morning, the new security guard guy made me go through the detector twice because my collar set it off. I mean, how rude is that-"

"Abby."

"Right. Well, I know that rule number 12 is never date a co-worker….."

"And?"

"Well you know how much I love you right?"

"Abby, this is very unconventional-"

"Oh God no, I don't want to date you!" Abby exclaimed. Gibbs smiled.

"I've been dating a person from your team for a while and we kept it a secret-"

"You're dating McGee."

Abby looked shocked. "How did you know? We were so careful to keep it a secret…."

"For some reason I just can't picture you with Ziva, and I know Tony has someone else on his mind, so that leaves McGee."

"Drat. So you're not mad?"

"Well, I could fire you and headslap McGee into another dimension, but I don't really want to do that," Gibbs smirked.

"Ha," Abby laughed nervously. "So, anyway, we have been dating for a while and…well, we wanna move in together."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"We've been considering it for a while but we didn't tell you because……" Abby drifted off.

"Because why?"  
"Because you weren't exactly approachable," she said quickly.

Gibbs sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"So…..."

"It's fine."

"Really?"

"As long as it doesn't interfere with work-"

"Oh, it won't. You won't notice a thing. I am the master of secrecy," Abby said, but then she paused for a moment. "Then again, you already knew about me and Timmy so maybe……" She continued to talk to herself all the way back to her lab.

Gibbs could just picture Jenny now, watching him from the catwalk and smiling, proud of his reformed self.

* * *

That night, Tony arrived back at his apartment and rang his boss.

"_Yeah, Gibbs,"_ came the answer.

"Hi Boss. Just got back from Ziva's," Tony said, locking his front door and then sitting on the couch.

"_She alright?"_

"She's doing better. When I left she was packing all of Chris's things into rubbish bags."

"_Good."_

"What's happening with him and Polly?"

"_She's being charged with murder, he's being charged with involvement or something,"_ Gibbs said distractedly. He really wanted to sleep so he could dream again.

Tony got the gist. "Alright, see you in the morning Boss."

"_Night DiNozzo."_

Tony hung up and switched on the television. He watched movies for a few hours, but he couldn't stop thinking.

Things were the same but they were different. Ziva was no longer engaged. She was a different person, but still Tony loved her.

What could he do now? Tell her he still loved her with all his heart? Tell her how much it hurt to see her crying over someone else? He could take it to the next level and tell her he pictured them married with a little girl……

No. He wouldn't say anything. Not for a while.

* * *

Ziva didn't even cringe as she heard yet another photo frame smash as she flung it into the rubbish bag.

She wasn't upset, exactly, but she was feeling something else. She just didn't know what it was.

For some reason, her conversation with Abby was circling around in her mind.

"_Do you still love Tony?"_

"_I don't know! I never really thought about it until now," Ziva said weakly._

"_You should probably think about it some more before you marry someone else."_

Did she love Tony? She knew she loved him all those years ago, but then she realised that Tony would never love her back. She decided to move on with someone else.

How wrong she'd been.

Tony did love her.

Ziva thought for a moment. She knew what she was feeling now. Relief. Relief that Chris was gone and that she was free to be with someone else.

Brushing dust off her knees, Ziva grabbed her keys and ran out the door.

* * *

A/N Hehehehe...

Two chapters to go!!

Please review!


	12. Better Than Any Letter

A/N Thanks to the people who reviewed!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 12 – Better Than Any Letter

Gibbs lay down on the floor next to the completed boat and checked his watched. 2:03am. He knew he really should sleep……

"_I see you did what I told you to do," came a voice. Gibbs was still on the basement floor. He stood up to see Jenny standing midway down the stairs._

_He smiled. "I did both things."_

"_Yes. I appreciate you completely destroying the settee. But what I am really happy about is-"_

"_I'm myself again. I know."_

_Jenny walked further down the stairs until she was on the ground. Gibbs noticed that she was still wearing her bloodstained clothes, and had a sudden mental flashback of seeing the pool of blood labeled 'Shepard' in the diner._

"_Stop thinking about it," Jenny said. Gibbs looked at her in surprise._

"_How do you-"_

"_No, it's not some talent that dead people have. I know you, therefore I know what you're thinking." She walked over to where he was lying moments before and took his place on the floor. Gibbs lay down next to her._

_They were silent for a moment, until Jenny spoke._

"_This floor really is quite comfortable."_

"_Jen," Gibbs said, turning his head to look at her. "Can you-"_

"_No," she said, putting a finger over his lips to silence him. "I can't keep coming back."_

_Gibbs wanted to say something, but couldn't. Jenny could tell what it was._

_She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you too."_

Gibbs awoke with a start. Running his hand over his face, he checked his watch. 2:15.

"What the…" Gibbs muttered. Surely if it was a dream it would have taken longer. He could have sworn he could still feel her beside him, but no-one was there. Smiling, Gibbs headed upstairs.

* * *

"How about this place?" Abby said, pointing at yet another picture of an apartment.

"No," McGee said, yawning. They had been at this for hours.

"McGee, you're so picky."

"Says she who originally refused places because they weren't close enough to the cemetery."

Abby shrugged and looked back at the magazine.

"Abby, why don't you just move in here?" McGee said, gesturing to their surroundings.

"Your place?'

"Well yeah. It's not far from NCIS, everyone knows where it is, and you've already claimed half of the wardrobe for your stuff."

Abby thought for a moment. Then she headslapped him.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"Not thinking of it earlier. Now hit me."

McGee sighed. "Abby, we're had this conversation before. I am not going to hit you."  
Abby stood up. "Want me to tell Tony and Ziva what happens between their characters in 'Rock Hollow'?"

McGee had never moved faster. SLAP!

"See! That wasn't so hard, was it."

"So you'll move in here?" McGee asked seriously.

Abby smiled. "Totally."

* * *

Tony woke to the sound of knocking on his door.

"It's 2:30! Who the hell goes to peoples' houses at 2:30 in the morning?" he cursed as he made his way from the couch to the door, ready to give whoever was on the other side a mouthful.

He opened the door and froze.

"Hi Tony."

"Hi." He felt very aware of the fact that he'd been sleeping in his work clothes and that he looked like a mess.

Ziva laughed. "Can I come in? I have to tell you something."

Tony remembered the last time she had had to tell him something. He let her in.

Once they were both inside, they stood a metre apart, facing each other.

"Is everything alright?" Tony asked nervously.

"_Everything is fine, Tony. I have made my choice as to what I'd like to do now."  
"What's that?"_

"_Be with you."  
_"God!" Tony exclaimed. Ziva looked shocked and a bit hurt.

"What?"

"I can't even be in the same room as you without having some sort of mental picture," he said, wringing his hands.

"What did you see?"

"You. Saying you wanted to be with me."

Ziva smiled. "That wasn't a dream, Tony. That was real." She stepped forward and kissed him.

After a moment they pulled apart.

"I love you, Ziva," Tony said. It came out so easily and sounded perfect.

"Now, that was better than any letter you could have sent," she replied. "I love you too," she whispered as she leant forward to kiss him again.

* * *

A/N This is my favourite chapter so far.

Hope you liked it!

Please review!

Only one chapter to go!!


	13. Epilogue

A/N This chapter is for Elle...I'm so excited for your story!

* * *

Chapter 13 - Epilogue

_Two years later..._

"Oh. My. God. This is ridiculous. We were meant to leave twenty minutes ago!" Tony said through the bathroom door.

"Deal with it Tony," came Ziva's reply.

"Seriously. I bet Abby doesn't do this to McGee!"

"They have been living together longer than us!"

"Completely irrelevant. Come on, Ziva," Tony replied impatiently, heading back to the lounge room.

"You do not rush the 'getting ready' portion of the evening," Ziva said, walking into the room.

"You look beautiful," Tony said, rubbing his hands on his legs.

"You said to dress up, so I did," Ziva replied, twirling her hair slightly. She was wearing the same dress she wore on their first night undercover all those years ago.

"Perfect," Tony said.

"Tony? Are you all right? You're sweating," Ziva said, putting her hand on his forehead. "You don't feel hot..."

"I'm fine," Tony said, swallowing. _"Come on Tony. You can do this."_

"Are you sure? We can stay home if you don't feel alright. I know you've had this booking for a while but-"

"No, we can still go. Just, ah, give me a sec," he said nervously. "Ziva?"

"Should I be scared or...?"

"No! No no no! Don't be scared."

"Alright. Sit down before you fall over though."

"You can sit down if you want. Actually, that might be better. You sit down," Tony said. Ziva sat, looking at him curiously.

"Alright. Ziva, you know how much I love you. You make me so happy and I love being around you."

"Oh my God," Ziva said. Tony silenced her by raising his hand.

"I want us to be together forever," Tony finished quickly. He reached into his pocket and knelt on the floor in front of her.

"Ziva, will you marry me?" he said, opening the small green box in his hand and showing her the beautiful diamond ring.

"Oh my God," Ziva repeated, putting her hands to her mouth.

"An answer would be good," Tony said nervously. Ziva took the ring out of the box and examined it. "Ziva?"

Ziva started laughing. "Of course I will! Tony! We're getting married!" she squealed as she put the ring on.

Tony stood up and hugged her. They broke apart when they heard voices from the hallway outside the apartment.

"Shhhh!! They'll hear us!"

"They probably aren't even there. Tony said they were going to dinner a while ago."

"One way to check," said the last voice. The lock clicked, and three people appeared in the doorway. Ziva and Tony stared at them.

"Oh. We are so busted," McGee said. Abby was trying to see over his shoulder, while Gibbs just stood there.

"Did you ask her?" Abby said impatiently. Ziva punched Tony in the arm.

"You told them you were going to propose?"

Abby squealed. "So you asked her?!"

"Yes, he did," Ziva smiled.

"And?"

"I said yes."

"Yay!" Abby said. After a round of congratulations, Tony shoed everyone out of the apartment. He turned back to Ziva.

"Ready for dinner future Mrs DiNozzo?"

Ziva smiled. "Absolutely."

* * *

The End

* * *

A/N Hope you enjoyed it!

That's it for this story. I am now writing the sequel!!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Please review this chapter!!

- PJ630


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